David Rovics' Magical Musical History Tour

Musical History: Exploring World History and Current Events with David Rovics

by David Rovics

December 28, 2017

A Musical Teaching Aid

My songs are used as teaching aids by school systems in Germany and Sweden and by the Zinn Education Project in the US. This Exploring World History series here is my effort to put a couple hundred of my songs into context in a way that I hope is engaging for anyone interested in these subjects.

There’s no need to go in order here, but it works best if you do. The prose is not meant to stand alone – it is meant to complement the audio or video that follows, which the text is elaborating upon.

Ideally, first you read the section beneath a headline, and then you click “play” and listen to the song.


SECTION A: US AND WORLD HISTORY

MODULE 1: Empires and Their Discontents
MODULE 2: Robber Barons, Refugees and Rebellions
MODULE 3: World War
MODULE 4: Hot Wars, Cold Wars and More Refugees
MODULE 5: Planet and People
MODULE 6: Civil Wars
MODULE 7: Copenhagen, Cologne, Caracas, California
MODULE 8: A Movement Grows
MODULE 9: Before and After 9/11
MODULE 10: Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, New Orleans
MODULE 11: The Latter Naughties

SECTION B: US AND GLOBAL CURRENT EVENTS

MODULE 12: 2010-11
MODULE 13: 2012-13
MODULE 14: 2014-15
MODULE 15: 2016-17

The 200 or so songs herein tell 200 or so stories – no more. There are many more worth telling. I always welcome suggestions. After you suggest a topic, my first question for you will be “do you have an idea for a hook line?”

Teachers, professors or anyone else willing to review this teaching aid are encouraged to do so anywhere you see fit, and tag me in the post please! Or just email 1-3 sentences to me describing in your own words why you think this is a useful resource.

To discover more songs by other artists on many other topics, follow the Song News Network.

This resource is free for anyone to use, but if you’re able to support my work by joining my CSA I’d immensely appreciate it.